Improving Outreach in Family Planning Clinics

Reaching out to the community is essential for increasing access to the health services your community needs. It can help you build your client base and maintain strong relationships with existing clients. Even though outreach may seem difficult, there are small, simple things that your clinic can do to improve its community outreach.

Make your office accessible to clients.

“Access” is based on more than just physical access. Clients may also face other barriers to accessing services. Problems with transportation, finances, language, literacy and comprehension may keep clients from utilizing or receiving effective family planning services. Clients may also feel uneasy about seeking these services.

You can help improve access and ensure that clients feel comfortable in your clinic. You can:

• Provide linguistically and culturally competent care. Hire staff who share the same culture and language as clients. Contract with an interpretation service.
• Assist clients in filling out forms. If your clients speak languages besides English, make sure that forms are available in these languages or that interpreters are available.
• Be mindful of privacy and confidentiality.
• Offer sliding-scale fees, or assist qualifying individuals in enrolling in public programs (such as Family PACT in California).
• Provide bus tokens or vouchers for clients to help them get to your clinic.

Promote the client-centered features of your clinic.

Client-centered care puts the client first and changes the clinic structure to meet their needs. A client-centered clinic may:

• Offer alternative hours, such as in the evening or weekend.
• Host education programs that are appealing to the local community, such as parent-child communication workshops.
• Integrate peer educators or community health workers into the clinical environment.
• Allow clients to walk-in or make same-day appointments.

If you offer any services like these, make sure that clients know about your unique services.

Establish partnerships.

Partnerships and collaborations can help improve community acceptance of family planning services. To get started:

• Identify other agencies, such as primary care clinics and social service providers, who may be able to refer clients to your clinic.
• Collaborate with school health initiatives.
• Work with faith-based organizations in your area to promote your services.
• Partner with local bus systems, if transportation is a concern for your clients. Advocate for bus stops that are close to your clinic.
• Be willing to meet and talk with concerned members of the community.

Reach out to underserved populations, such as youth and males.

Certain populations, such as youth and males often have an unmet need for family planning services. You can reach out to these groups by making services appealing to those populations.

Clinics that appeal to males and young adults may:

• Use male or youth peer providers at the clinic. Make sure staff are representative of the populations you want to reach.
• Offer drop-in hours after school or specialized “teen hours” for youth.
• Partner with school health clinics and health classes.

• Advertise services in youth-friendly or male-specific locations, such as recreation centers, shopping malls, or barber shops.
• Display posters and offer client education materials featuring youth and males.
• Offer services specifically for men.

Use media and advertising to reach clients.

Advertising can make community members aware of your services and help attract new clients. Here are some ideas for getting started:

• Create a website to attract internet users. Make sure it is available in the languages your clients speak.
• Design and broadcast television and radio ads for your community.
• Contact local newspapers and television stations for news coverage of the work you do.
• Place an ad in the phone book or in local buses.
• Post easy-to-read flyers in your community. You can place flyers at:
• Community centers
• Farmer’s markets
• Apartment complexes
• Health fairs
• Social service agencies
• Faith-based organizations

Get input from your clients.

Current clients might have suggestions for how your clinic could be improved. They may also have ideas for how to reach out to friends, family and other fellow community-members. Consider conducting a survey or brief interviews with regular clients to get their feedback on outreach. Remember that word-of-mouth referrals are often the best way to reach clients.

Want to learn more?

For more information on community outreach for family planning, visit the Family PACT Provider Guide to Effective Outreach (PDF)

If you would like training about community outreach, contact CFHC at training@cfhc.org.